2 Jekyll 2 Hyde
If you’re a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror tale of dueling personalities. then you’re going to be in luck come April and May as each month will see the DVD release of a new version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The first, set for an April 22nd release from Image Entertainment, will be The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (review) (not to be confused with Dan Curtis’ 1968 Jack Palance telefilm of the same name) starring Tony Todd in the dual roles. In this modernized version from f/x make-up maven turned director John Carl Buechler, Dr. Henry Jekyll thinks he has discovered a cure for heart disease and makes the fatal error of trying his serum on himself. He then transforms into wisecracking psychopath Mr. Hyde, who immediately begins killing off many a nubile coed at a nearby college. Tracy Scoggins plays a cop on the trail of the split personality killer.
DVD extras will include a theatrical trailer, some TV spots, and a “making of” feature.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde actually got a very, very, very limited theatrical release – we’re talking about 30 theaters – back in the fall of 2006.
But if that’s not enough Jekyll & Hyde for you, then just wait until May 27th when the more traditionally titled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde makes its way to DVD shelves. This one, also a modernized reinvention of Stevenson’s story, was produced by RHI Entertainment, producers of Something Beneath, Maneater, In the Spider’s Web, and many a TV movie that’s premiered on a variety of different cable networks. This one is also listed on IMDB as being originally being a made-for-television movie but I’ve not come across info as to what TV channel it has or will air on.
In any event, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stars Desperate Housewives’ Dougray Scott in the lead role as a physician experimenting with the isotropic properties of a rare Amazonian flower said to be so potent it can separate a man’s soul, unleashing his dark side in the process. Must be working because the city is being gripped by a series of gruesome murders and Jekyll keeps awakening the day after each murder with bloody mementos and violent memories. Tom Skerritt co-stars, which probably means he’ll die in it; Tom Skerritt can’t seem to show up in a made-for-TV genre film of late without meeting his maker before it’s over.
No DVD extras have been announced, but I doubt there will be any since RHI releases tend to be barebones.
Discuss your split personality in our Dread Central forums!
Categorized:
